At last, the final curtain has fallen on one of the most miserable seasons I can remember in my 18 years covering Sunderland.

Not only has this season dragged, the fact that relegation was confirmed with four games still remaining meant that the last three weeks have seemed an eternity.

The football has been all-but irrelevant - the win at Hull City provided a brief but meaningless lift, the home defeat against Swansea City was a real low, and this week’s back-to-back defeats at Arsenal and now Chelsea were completely predictable.

At Stamford Bridge, Javi Manquillo’s early goal gave the 2,000 travelling fans something to cheer but it only lasted a matter of minutes before Willian levelled, and while the Black Cats held out at 1-1 until the hour mark, champions Chelsea powered away thanks to strikes from Eden Hazard, Pedro, and a late brace from Michy Batshuayi.

Javier Manquillo of Sunderlad celebrates scoring his side's first goal with his team mates (Image: Getty Images Europe)

But in reality, over the last few weeks of the season the attention of Sunderland fans had already switched to club’s prospects of promotion next season and, more immediately, the future of manager David Moyes.

They are two are interlinked, and both are likely to be determined in London this week.

Read More

Moyes will meet owner Ellis Short and chief executive Martin Bain in the capital to hammer out a strategy for the club going forward.

Moyes’ position is in doubt, with a significant number of fans calling for another managerial change after this nightmare campaign.

But the central issue which will determine the next move will be the club’s summer recruitment budget.

Because upwards of a dozen players are set to depart Wearside over the next three months, and they will need to be replaced in quantity and improved upon in terms of quality if the Black Cats are to stand a realistic chance of launching a promotion challenge - which will be the minimum expectation for next season.

Read More

Even in the Championship, it will take a considerable amount of money to rebuild this woefully poor, failed, patchwork, squad into a team capable of making an early return to the top flight.

And with Sunderland more than £100m in debt, with a crippling wage bill, and without the guarantee of a minimum £100m in Premier League TV cash pouring into their coffers next season, the omens do not look good.

Without money to spend, any manager - be it Moyes or someone else - will find themselves on a hiding to nothing next season.

If money is not forthcoming, it is entirely possible that Moyes may decide to walk away and give the fans the scalp they are demanding.